Probe into two MPs suspected of interfering with senatorial election
The two members of the House of Representatives are suspected of influencing voters by hosting a dinner party
The Senate’s committee on human rights, rights and liberty, and consumer protection will investigate a complaint alleging that two members of the House of Representatives in the northeastern region organised a dinner party for incumbents of the ongoing senatorial election, which could be seen as influencing voters.
Committee chairman senator Somchai Sawaengkarn said on Monday that the complainant urged the investigation on the possible violation of ethics of the two MPs.
Somchai said he has forwarded the complaint to House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, who chairs the Parliament’s ethics committee to launch an investigation. “If the allegation is true, it could lead to party dissolution,” said Somchai.
Somchai added that in the past week he had also received several complaints regarding the district round of senatorial voting, including coaching of voters and providing transport to voting locations. He said the committee will work with the Election Commission (EC) in investigating possible violation of election laws raised by these complaints.
In the ongoing senatorial election, successful candidates will vote among themselves in three levels of elections to select the new 200-member Senate. Elections at the district level were held on Sunday (June 9), and will take place at the provincial level on June 16 and at the national level on June 26.
This elected Senate will replace the 250-member Senate appointed by the junta after the 2014 military-led coup. The tenure of these senators ended on May 10 but they are playing a caretaker role until a new Senate is selected.
The EC announced on Monday that from a total of 45,753 eligible incumbents, 23,645 have passed the district-level voting on Sunday. Of them, 15,077 are males and 8,568 are females.
